OUR STORY
It all started with two words: peace and justice. Simple words that were easily brushed off and forgotten when Dr. Aafia, a passionate Pakistani Muslim activist with a neuroscience degree and loving family, was unfairly imprisoned and tortured for being wrongfully convicted of "attempted murder." In fact, her only "crime" was raising awareness about relief for humanitarian issues and promoting dawah (the teaching and spread of Islam). Ramsey Clark, a former US Attorney General known for his dedicated support for civil liberties and rights, identified her case to be "The worst case of individual injustice I have ever witnessed." Dr. Aafia's case isn't the only one promptly closed up as soon as unjustified justice is proclaimed. Unfortunately, many more cases are prevalent and is rooted in our current justice system.
We, The Aafia Foundation, don't keep injustice cases, like Dr. Aafia's, closed. As a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-political, organization we strive to open up the lost cases and BRING proper PEACE and JUSTICE that have long been overdue should be restored. Our mission is to EMPOWER and BECOME the AGENTS OF DEFENSE of human rights for all no matter the race, class or religion of the person. We do this in just three steps: EDUCATE ADVOCATE and PUBLISH.
WHAT'S EAP?
To EDUCATE:
Through lectures, we educate the youth and general public about the vitality of the rights accorded by the US Constitution and international human rights law. By doing so sparks the initiative to take action and raise awareness upon the racist and religious intolerance present within the justice system.
To ADVOCATE:
The words we speak spur action in protests. We aim to raise the voices of those unjustly incarcerated and aid in their emancipation. We also provide support to families and communities whom were adversely affected by the criminal justice system.
To PUBLISH:
We provide thought-provoking stories across print and social media platforms. These stories are to not only be pondered upon but also spread around allowing awareness to be raised once more in a new light where proper peace through justice is given to the wrongly convicted.
EDUCATE
ADVOCATE
PUBLISH
We educate and give the tools to the public on how to address the human rights issues present today.
We take action through our voice chants, posters and protests.
We write stories and spread blog posts about current cases of human rights violations that need to be spoken up about.
Our Concerns
We are concerned about all Muslim political prisoners who were unjustly targeted over the past two plus decades in the name of national security and a so-called “War on Terrorism.”
We are concerned about the many disparities of “justice” evident throughout America’s criminal justice system; disparities rooted in race, class, politics, and increasingly, religion.
We are concerned about the social, economic, and political health and welfare of a nation-state that calls itself a “democracy,” a “land of liberty and justice for all,” but in reality is far removed from these ideals.
The consequences of such contradictions are real. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., correctly noted, “The arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
We are reminded that as men and women must reap the consequences of their actions, nations will also be judged and reap the consequences of theirs.
This philosophical view of life and struggle is what guides and undergirds the work of The Aafia Foundation, Inc.
Aafia is a name rich in meaning. When a well respected scholar of The Qur’an, Imam Mohamad al-Asi, was asked to share his understanding of the meaning of Aafia, he stated the following:
Simply put, the pedestrian meaning of Aafia is (physical) health. The more comprehensive meaning of it is not only physical health but the health that is inclusive of a person’s physical, mental, and spiritual being. Some linguists would extend that to mean that “Aafia(h)” is the physical health that extends from spiritual health.
We believe this to be a most fitting name for an organization that will have a restorative justice mandate. Central goals of The Aafia Foundation, Inc., will be to provide another much needed voice for the voiceless within the American and international public square; to strive to the best of our ability to come to the aid of the oppressed; and to help the United States of America live up to the better part of itself – as a nation theoretically founded on the still unfulfilled principle of “liberty and justice for all.”
Meet Our Board of Directors That Made This Happen!!
Ayman Nassar, Chairman
Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Aafia Foundation, and Chief of Research, Academics and Programs and founder at Islamic Leadership Institute of America (ILIA). Former board member at American Muslim Senior Society (AMSS), Dar Al-Taqwa (DAT) and Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Maryland Chapter.
Hajj Mauri Salaakhan, Founder, Executive Director and Board Member
El-Hajj Mauri’ Saalakhan is a Metro-Washington, DC-based human rights advocate. He is Founding President, and serves as Director of Operations for The Aafia Foundation, Inc.
Mayesha Awal, Board Member & Secretary
Mayesha Awal is based on Chicago, IL and works as a Life Sciences Consultant. She serves as the Secretary for The Aafia Foundation, Inc.
Ayub C. Mohamed, Board Member
Even Our Advisory Board!
Imad ad-Dean Ahmad, PhD
Dr. Ahmad is the president of the Minaret of Freedom Institute, a 501(c)(3) tax‑exempt Muslim think‑tank. He also is president of the Islamic‑American Zakat Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax‑exempt religious and charitable organization which primarily serves poor and needy Muslims in the United States.
Dr. Ahmad has written and spoken on Islam and legal and religious freedom, democracy in the Muslim world, Islamic civil society, property rights in Islam, women in Islam and female circumcision, Middle East conflicts in Palestine and Iraq, Palestinian human and property rights, terrorism and jihad, and American civil liberties.
He is the author of Signs in the Heavens: A Muslim Astronomer’s Perspective on Religion and Science and Islamic Rules of Order, co-editor of Islam and the West: A Dialog, and co-author of Islam and the Discovery of Freedom. He also contributed to The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism with an article on Islam.
Karima Al-Amin
Sister Karima Al-Amin is an attorney at law and the wife of political prisoner Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin. In addition to her private practice, Mrs. Al-Amin continues to work with attorneys in appealing her husband’s conviction and in working on his civil lawsuits challenging First Amendment and religious violations. Mrs. Al-Amin is a member of several legal and community organizations, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Clarkston Business Association, and the Georgia Association of Muslim Lawyers (GAML).
Khalid Zaman
Khalid Zaman is a member of the “National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)” and the Project Management Institute (PMI); and is a registered professional engineer in 15 states with expertise in design engineering and project management for power plants, refineries and midstream oil & gas pipelines.
He served on the executive committee of the Muslim Students Association of the US & Canada during its early formative years in 1965-1966, and participated later in its transition into Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). He is a member of Southern Poverty Law Center, Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) and the American Civil Liberties Union. He also serves on the ISGH Khateeb Committee.
Hena Zuberi
Hena Zuberi is the Editor in Chief of Muslimmatters.org, an award winning web magazine. A community organizer for years, she is also a staff reporter for the Muslim Link newspaper. Hena worked as a TV news reporter and producer for CNBC Asia and World Television News. Hena is also a founding board member of Words Heal ‑ Sadie Peterson Delaney Literary Collaborative, a bibliotherapy initiative that collects stories of underrepresented people.
In Memoriam:
W. Ramsey Clark
The late Ramsey Clark (Dec. 18, 1927 - April 9, 2021) was the U.S. Attorney General during one of the most turbulent and consequential decades in American history – and in the opinion of many he was one of the finest to hold that office. He founded the New York-based International Action Center; and joined the board of advisors of The Aafia Foundation in 2015. After retiring from the government, the former US Attorney General became a world-renowned human rights advocate. May ALLAH be pleased with him.
Mansour Ansari
The late Mansour Ansari (1949-2022) was an officer of the AHAD Foundation, an Atlanta Georgia, nonprofit organization that provides a platform for the Muslim community to nurture intellectual and educational resources; a member of the Islamic Speakers Bureau; and a connoisseur (and dealer) of antique rugs. He had an extensive background in grassroots activism and public speaking, with a passion for providing a more accurate and balanced view of Islam. Whether it was feeding the hungry in front of a mosque in downtown Atlanta, or helping someone out in their hour of need, service was a part of Br. Mansour’s nature. May ALLAH be pleased with him.